About
Vision
The George Washington Carver Community Center envisions becoming a national model for community transformation. A vibrant, all-in-one hub where lives are enriched, potential is realized, and communities flourish through opportunity, connection, and purpose.
Mission
Our mission is to strengthen families by providing essential resources, supporting childhood development through educational enrichment and recreational programs, promoting health and well-being through comprehensive wellness initiatives, and fostering strong intergenerational connections through engaging, family-centered activities.
About Us
The Carver Center is a vibrant community hub serving everyone from young children to older adults. Our programs and activities promote personal growth and build meaningful connections. Thanks to the generous support of the Peoria community, we’re able to offer after-school care, early childcare programs, and summer camps for kids, as well as job-readiness resources for adults. Weekly and monthly activities such as Crochet class, Adult Skate Into Fitness, Line Dancing, and Senior Socials, provide fun and welcoming opportunities for neighbors to come together.
What began over 100 years ago as a safe space for children seeking guidance has grown into a true beacon in the heart of Peoria, empowering people of all ages and backgrounds. The newly reimagined George Washington Carver Community Center stands as a vital beacon in the heart of Peoria, uplifting the lives of all who walk through its doors and enriching the community as a whole.
We’ve been hard at work, and that work is transforming lives. At the George Washington Carver Community Center, we’re not just building programs; we’re building a stronger, more united Peoria. We believe in the power of community, and we believe in Peoria. Click below to view our history over the last 100 years!
Employees
Jacobie Proctor
Chief Executive Officer
Jasmine Jones
Programs Director
Kali Morgan
Human Resources
Brianne Johnson
Director of Operations
Jessica Mudd
Child & Family Director
Sara Moore
Marketing & Development Manager
Board Members
Jacobie Proctor
Chief Executive Officer
Aaron Kilgore
President
Wyatt Wolven
Devon Sydnor
Leon Hendricks
Ron Givens
Jim Wright
Leon Hendricks
Ron Givens
Jim Wright
Richard Pryor (1940-2005)
In the spring of 1955, a young, 14-year-old kid named Richard Pryor first walked into the Carver Center. He joined Juliette Whittaker’s Youth Theater Guild and was cast in a minor role in Rumpelstiltskin. However, when the actor playing the king didn’t show up for rehearsal, Richard took over the role and had the rest of the cast (and Miss Whittaker) in tears. It was the world-renowned comedian and actor’s first appearance on stage.
For more than a year, the Carver Center was Richard’s home away from home, and Juliette was his mentor and surrogate mother. In fact, before Mel Brooks and Lily Tomlin, Juliette was Richard’s first writing partner, taking the stories Richard would make up and giving them structure. Not only did Richard learn to write and perform under Juliette’s tutelage, he also learned about race in America and politics in Peoria. She took him to local plays and the former Lakeview Museum, while encouraging him to learn more about the world around him.
As he grew older, Juliette made Richard the emcee at the Carver Center talent shows, which would be packed with hundreds of kids. It was his first time performing comedy before a large audience and he soon built up a following. He not only told jokes but did impressions of well-known people in the community. But his favorite character was an invention of his own: a black superhero too poor buy his own suit, named the Rummage Sale Ranger.
Richard left Peoria a few years later, striking out on his own and soon found success and fame in the comedy world and the rest is history. But Richard never forgot where he came from and helped financially support the Carver Center over the years.